The present invention relates to knitwear with collar, such as a sweater and a cardigan, integrally knitted around a neckline of the knitwear by using a flat knitting machine, and to a knitting method thereof.
Knitting methods of knitting knitwear with collar integrally knitted around a neckline of the knitwear by using a flat knitting machine are known from Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 6-184886 and Hei 4-214448, for example.
Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 6-184886 cited above discloses the knitting method wherein a front body is knitted starting at a hem toward a shoulder and a V-shaped or round neckline is formed around a shoulder area and, then, a back body is knitted from the shoulder to the hem continuously. In this knitting method, when the front body is knitted, it is forked into a right front body part and a left front body part at a neckline opening and a part of either of those front body parts on the neckline side is knitted as the collar. The collar is often knitted with a purl stitch structure of front stitches and back stitches being alternated with each other in every course. This knitting method is advantageous in that since the collar is integrally knitted with the body in the course of knitting, the need of the sewing process after knitting, such as linking, can be eliminated. It is disadvantageous, however, in that a wale at a lateral end of the front body appears at an end of the collar and that the stitches of the collar are oriented in the same direction as the stitches of the body.
Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 4-214448 cited above discloses the knitting method wherein after the front body is forked into the right front body part and the left front body part at the neckline opening, one front body part to be knitted is shifted away from the neckline and also widening stitches are formed around a marginal end of the neckline, whereby a peripheral length of the neckline is increased and also a front drop of the collar is formed. In this knitting method, after the front body is knitted to form a square or round neckline in the front body, the collar is knitted continuously from the stitches in the neckline opening. Due to this, an increased number of times the widening stitches are formed is required for obtaining an increased depth of the neckline (collar drop), but this is not easy. In addition, in this knitting method, the cast-off end forms the front end of the collar.
On the other hand, in the knitwear finished by stitching up a collar to the neckline by a conventional sewing process, since a cast-off end of the collar separately knitted is stitched up to the neckline of the body, the cast-on end of the collar forms a front end of the collar, so that a well-shaped collar is obtained. Besides, since the collar is often knitted with a rib stitch structure of 1xc3x971 rib or a tubular knit structure of plain, the collar obtained is different in texture and look-and-feel from that of the body of the knitwear having the purl stitch structure.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 3-75656 discloses a knitting method: using a so-called two-bed flat knitting machine having a pair of front and back needle beds arranged to be opposite to each other. In this knitting method, for example, odd needles on the needle beds are used for a front part of a knitted fabric and even needles are used for a back part of the knitted fabric. When the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted with alternate needles, the back part of the knitted fabric is retained on (associated with) the back needle bed, while on the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the front needle bed, so as to knit the front and back parts in an overlapped condition. Thus, in this method using the two-bed flat knitting machine, the empty needles for transference can always be reserved for the respective parts of the knitted fabric on the opposed needle beds, thus enabling the knitting of the structure pattern of front stitches and back stitches being mixed, such as links, garter and rib, and also enabling the stitches to be shifted laterally. Additionally, the knitting method using a four-bed flat knitting machine is also known, wherein for example needles on a lower front needle bed and needles on an upper back needle bed are used for knitting a front part of the knitted fabric and needles on a lower back needle bed and needles on an upper front needle bed are used for knitting a back part of the knitted fabric. When the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the back part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower back needle bed, while on the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower front needle bed. This knitting method using the four-bed flat knitting machine does not have the limitation that the alternate needles are used for knitting the respective parts of the knitted fabric, differently from the knitting method using the two-bed flat knitting machine.
It is the object of the present invention to provide laborsaving in the post-process such as linking by joining the collar and the body to each other in the course of knitting and also provide a highly stylish knitwear with collar by making an arbitrary selection of the knitting structure of the collar including a rib stitch structure of 1xc3x971 rib and a tubular knit structure.
The present invention provides knitwear with a collar comprising a front body and a back body, one of which is parted into a right body portion and a left body portion, and further comprising a neckline,
wherein the neckline comprises at least three neckline portions comprising a first neckline portion formed at a lateral end of one of the right body portion and the left body portion which is formed earlier than the other, a second neckline portion formed at a lateral end of the other of the right body portion and the left body portion, and a third neckline portion formed in the body portion formed later,
wherein a knitted fabric of the collar has a knitting width enough to be joined to an entire circumference of the neckline and comprises:
a) a first collar portion joined to the first neckline portion,
b) a second collar portion joined to the second neckline portion, and
c) a third collar portion located at an outside of the first and/or the second collar portions and joined to the third neckline portion, and
wherein loops of the first neckline portion and loops of a final course of the first collar portion are joined to each other by forming double loops in the course of knitting of the body to form the first neckline portion; then loops of the second neckline portion and loops of a final course of the second collar portion are joined to each other by forming double loops in the course of knitting of the body to form the second neckline portion; and finally the third collar portion is moved to a neckline opening in such a condition that the loops of the third collar portion are arrayed in an opposite direction, so that the third neckline portion and the third collar portion are joined to each other by knitting a course of the body following the knitting of the loops of the final course of the third collar portion.
The knitted fabric of the collar may be a V-neck knitted fabric. Preferably, in the V-neck knitted fabric, whenever the knitted fabric is knitted by a predetermined number of courses, the collar portions are knitted to widen from a V-butt line of the V-neck as a center so that the knitted fabric of the collar can have a large number of wales in a cast-off portion thereof than in a cast-on portion thereof, and the neckline is knitted to decrease the knitting width of the body so as to correspond in shape to the V-neck form.
It is preferable that the neckline is a round or square neckline further including a fourth neckline portion having a predetermined number of wales inserted in between the right body portion and the left body portion, and the knitted fabric of the collar has a fourth collar portion between the first collar portion and the second collar portion, the fourth neckline portion and the fourth collar portion being joined to each other by a binding-off knitting.
Also, the present invention provides a method of knitting knitwear with collar by using a flat knitting machine, wherein a body comprising a front body and a back body, one of which is parted into a right body portion and a left body portion, and a knitted fabric of the collar knitted separately from the body are joined to each other in the course of knitting for forming a neckline in the body by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of first and second needle beds, which are extended laterally and confront each other in back and front and at least either of which can be racked laterally to transfer stitches between the needles beds, the method comprising:
a) the step of knitting the body from its hem to a forked portion at which the forming of the neckline is started,
b) the step of knitting the knitted fabric of the collar separately from the body in parallel with or before or after the knitting of the body,
c) the step of joining the knitted fabric of the collar to the body along circumference of the neckline, the step comprising the following steps:
c-1) the step of joining the knitted fabric of the collar to one body portion of the right and left body portions by overlapping loops of a collar portion of the knitted fabric of the collar confronting the one body portion, which extends from near a center of a knitting width of the knitted fabric of the collar to one outer end of the same, with a loop at a lateral end of the one body portion one after another from a loop near the center of the knitted fabric in the course of knitting the one body parted into the right body portion and the left body portion, and
c-2) the step of joining the knitted fabric of the collar to the other body portion of the right and left body portions by overlapping loops of a collar portion of the knitted fabric of the collar confronting the other body portion, which extends from near a center of a knitting width of the knitted fabric of the collar to the other outer end of the same, with a loop at a lateral end of the other body portion one after another from a loop near the center of the knitted fabric in the course of knitting the other body.
It is preferable that the neckline has a flat neckline portion having a predetermined number of wales inserted in between the right body portion and the left body portion, and the flat neckline portion is joined to the collar portion of the knitted fabric of the collar located at a center of the knitting width by a binding-off process, followed by the step of the process c).
It is preferable that the knitted fabric of the collar is knitted to have a larger kitted width than a collar portion joined to the body around a neckline portion defined by lateral ends of the right and left body portions, so as to allow the knitted fabric of the collar to be joined to the body all around the neckline.
It is preferable that the body is knitted in such a manner that one of the front and back bodies is knitted from its hem to its shoulder and then the other is knitted to its hem continuously, so that the front body and the back body are knitted continuously along the shoulder, and also the neckline closed at an entire circumference thereof is formed in the course of knitting of the body, and wherein after the knitted fabric of the collar is sequentially joined to the neckline of the body knitted in sequence, the rest of the knitted fabric of the collar left without being joined to the neckline is place between the right body portion and the left body portion in such a condition that the loops of the rest of the knitted fabric of the collar are arrayed in an opposite direction and is joined to the body by performing a course knitting following the knitting of loops of that collar portion and loops of the body knitted to be parted right and left.
According to the present invention, loops in the lateral end portion of the body forming the first neckline portion and loops of a final course of the first collar portion are overlapped and joined to each other by transference of loops in the course of knitting of the one body portion of the right and left body portions. Then, loops in the lateral end portion of the body forming the second neckline portion and loops of a final course of the second collar portion are overlapped and joined to each other by transference of loops in the course of knitting of the other body portion of the right and left body portions. Then, after the third collar portion is moved to a place where the third neckline portion is formed, in such a condition that the loops of the third collar portion are arrayed in an opposite direction, the body is knitted continuously to be joined to the third collar portion. As a result of this, the knitted fabric of the collar, which is knitted separately from the body on the flat knitting machine during the knitting process, is joined to all around the neckline formed in the body in the condition that its cast-off portion confronts the entire circumference of the neckline. Since the knitted fabric of the collar is not knitted as a part of the body, as conventional, but is knitted independently of the body, the knitted fabric of the collar can be knitted with any desirable knitting such as a rib knitting and a tubular knitting. Also, since the cast-off portion of the knitted fabric of the collar thus knitted is joined to the body which is in the knitting process, the knitted fabric of the collar can be differed in orientation of loop from the body, thus enabling a knitwear that looks like a knitwear finished by a stitch-up process to be produced on the flat knitting machine. This can provide improvement in design of knitwear and can provide a highly stylish knitwear design. In addition, since the knitted fabric of the collar knitted separately from the body is sequentially joined to the neckline portion of the body while the neckline is formed in the body, as mentioned above, the knitting of the knitwear with collar can be facilitated. This can allow production of a variety of knitwear designs such as knitwear designed to have a large collar drop in the neckline.
The knitted fabric of the collar may be a V-neck knitted fabric. Preferably, the V-neck knitted fabric is knitted to gradually widen from the V-butt line of the V-neck as a center. This can provide the result that when no load is applied to the knitted fabric of the collar, the knitted fabric of the collar has an inverted generally V-shaped form with the V-butt line put upside down. This can allow the knitted fabric of the collar to well fit to the neckline which is knitted in such a manner as to decrease the knitting width of the body so as to have a V-shaped base portion of the neckline.
When the body is parted into a right body portion and a left body portion at a neckline forming portion, the fourth neckline portion having a predetermined number of wales may be inserted in between the right body portion and the left body portion. In this case, the fourth collar portion of the knitted fabric of the collar positioned between the first collar portion and the second collar portion is first joined to the fourth neckline portion by the binding-off process. This can produce the base portion of the neckline designed to be round or square in shape.